Searching for a way to spruce up summer salads? Look no further than the lemon cucumber. Appearing rather like a pale lemon with a stubbly five o' clock shadow, lemon cucumbers are an heirloom variety worth seeking out at the market. Possessed of less of the natural chemical that can make some green cucumbers bitter and hard to digest, their sweet flavor and crisp, succulent texture will surprise and delight even the normally cucumber-averse. To serve, rub lemon cucumbers with a towel to remove bristles, if desired. There is no need to peel their thin, tender skins, so just slice and serve in your favorite salad, sandwich or glass of cool water. These juicy gems can also be devoured out of one hand, with a salt shaker in the other.

Now in its 11th year, Nicky USA's Wild About Game Event promises to be
better than ever. The lineup for the Iron Chef-style competition
includes Erik Van Kley of Little Bird, Ben Bettinger of Beaker &
Flask and Jason Stoller Smith of Timberline Lodge. The stellar palates
judging this year are Dana Bowen, executive editor of Saveur magazine,
Raphael Brion, national editor of Eater.com, and Janie Hibler, game
expert and local cookbook author. But there'll also be cooking
demonstrations by local chefs, cookbook signings, local libations, food tastings and
mingling with the kind of people who appreciate meats like water
buffalo, emu and elk sausage. The event happens 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept.
18 at Resort at the Mountain in Welches. Tickets are $35 and are
available at www.nickyusa.com.

Wine pick: Cleto Chiarli Brut de Noir Rosé ($16)

In the north-central Italian state of Emilia-Romagna, a Modena trattoria owner named Cleto Chiarli made such a compelling lambrusco (a sparkling red wine that dates back to Roman times) that he had to open his eponymous winery in 1860 to keep up with demand. Those lambruscos are still thirst-quenchingly delicious: I love the cool raspberry, slate and plum notes on this winery's single-vineyard "Vigneto Enrico Cialdini" bottling, made from the grasparossa clone of the lambrusco grape. The winery also produces a sparkling rosé from grasparossa: a rose petal pink confection of black-cherry kirsch, lime peel, rosewater, honey and marzipan, with a dry steely finish. It's incredibly elegant for the price, and at a sparkling-wine appropriate 12 percent alcohol by volume, it makes a splendid aperitif. A side note: In addition to grapes, the Chiarli estates grow forage for dairy cows responsible for Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Come to think of it, this wine might be divine served with thin slices of parm. You can find it at E&R Wine Shop; City Market; Liner & Elsen; and Pastaworks Hawthorne & Williams; its also available through Galaxy Wine Co.

-- Katherine Cole

On their hips?

Many parents are sending kids off to college well-prepared with new clothes, a laptop computer, and, if they're lucky, some spending money. But have you had the talk? We're referring to the talk about nutrition. To avoid gaining the dreaded "freshman 15," the University of New Haven has several tips:

Don't use all of the cheese packet in macaroni and cheese mixes and add microwaved carrot pieces or broccoli florets.

In the cafeteria, most main dishes contain two or more portions, so request only a fist-sized portion.

Eliminate cheese from sandwiches to save 100 to 200 calories. Processed sandwich cheese is salty and very high in fat. Better to get calcium from nonfat dairy or fortified soy drinks.

When eating off campus, order smaller portions, share food with friends, avoid supersizing and instead of adding mayo, bacon or cheese to burgers, top them with barbecue sauce, ketchup, mustard, pickles and other low-cal toppings.